in my opinion, Bose is somewhat like Apple - they have chosen what you should have and what you shouldn't, all nicely packaged with a great user experience. For the general public who don't want to know or don't consider the intricate details, they have a product from a great 'brand' which looks good and sounds good which they can then show off. This market is much bigger and proven by the success of these products, there is no reason they should change at all - that too for a fraction of the entire population. Hell - the other traditional brands are changing now
Buddy, what were you drinking when you wrote this? There is so much error in these few sentences, only a religious scripture can match it.
Let's examine each of your sentences:
I have no idea what you are talking about. I have been a long time Apple user (both their Desktop and laptops) and Apple choses nothing for me except great hardware and a stable OS. I can install any application I want, both free and commercial, from anyone. In fact, unlike in the case of Windows, I do not have to seek Bill's permission every time I want to re-install the OS.
If you meant ability to program the computer, Mac OS is super easy. XCode, Mac OS's development environment, is free (I believe they are charging $4.95 for it now). VC++, the equivalent Microsoft app, costs some serious amount of money (> $500 for pro edition. Don't talk about the express edition. It isn't the real thing). If I want to, I can write my own apps for my Mac and I don't pay a dime to Apple.
If you are talking about their mobile platforms, you probably have no knowledge of the history of development on mobile platforms. Apple will give you the development environment for free (XCode + iPhone SDK) and there is enough information on the internet about the APIs. If you had ever tried programming for a mobile device before iOS (E.g. Symbian, Palm or Windows Mobile), you would know what I am talking about. One of the reasons for the success of apple's app store is that they made is very easy for the developer to write programs. You do pay for a developer license, but it doesn't cost an arm or a leg ($99/year iOS Developer Program - Apple Developer ). I have some experience of development on mobile platforms before iPhone. Trust me, iPhone development was God sent.
If you meant you can't play flash videos on your iPhone, too bad. I am not shedding a tear. I really don't care about flash.
If you find the app store restrictive, I am very curious to know what kind of applications you are looking for. Many of my friends use the app store and they have never told me that they couldn't find an app they wanted. I hope you are not talking about pirating software.
**Let's not talk about Android. That would need a keg of beer and whole night.
Since when has that become a negative thing?
Back up your words. Most computer geeks, the equivalent of audiophiles in the computer world, would pick up a Mac.
I have a ton of supergeek friends who have switched to Mac. And I am talking about people with real careers in computer engineering, those who understand the guts of the system.
Zuckerberg switch from a Sony VIAO to Mac. I am sure you don't consider him to be someone who can't understand the inner details.
Here is Paul Graham on why Hackers prefer Mac.
Return of the Mac
In fact, the people who know their bits and bytes will prefer a mac. It is the aunties and the uncles who can't see anything beyond the price tag who end up signing up for Wintel.
Most people end up buying Bose because they know of nothing else. I was in the same boat a year ago. That isn't true for Apple. The people who are buying Apple *are* aware of the competing products.
Hmm, is that a bad thing? "if it looks good and sounds good", what is the problem? Anyway, I love good industrial design and Jonathan Ive has done a phenomenal job over the past decade. I *would* pay more to get a well designed computer. No cheap plastic crap from Dell if I can afford better.
And I hope you are not implying that Bose products are well designed. Let me break it for you. Bose equipment is butt ugly. There are a dozen other Audio manufacturer whose equipment looks far better. Even my Wharfedale 10.1 looks better than the 301. You will have to pay me to put the 901 in my living room. And the other speakers (acoustimass) look like they have been designed for the dentist's lounge.
Bose is a privately held company, I do not understand how you can talk about it's market share or success. Apple has become the most valuable tech company. If you believe they became by selling low quality products at high prices, you really need to get a clue. They build solid products at prices that are very difficult to match (check what happened to those playing in the same markets; E.g. Nokia, Blackberry, or Motorola or Samsung). I don't know if any audio equipment manufacturer is losing sleep because of Bose.
Hell - the other traditional brands are changing now
In the case of Apple, yes. Everyone is trying to copy their design, which in a way is an endorsement of their work. I am not sure if any *real* audio equipment maker cares about Bose.
Last edited by a moderator:
